González highlights health and education investments: medical residencies, hepatitis C treatment and school programs
Summary
The governor announced budget additions for health—including funds for hepatitis C treatment in correctional populations, expanded medical-resident slots and hospital renovations—and education, including bilingual teacher certification, special education supports and new vocational curricula.
In her May 29 address Governor Jennifer González announced several programmatic investments in health and education intended to expand capacity and services in both sectors.
Health: The governor said the budget includes funds to expand medical residencies and to purchase medical equipment, citing a figure of "24.3 1000000" for recruiting residents and equipment (verbatim from the address). She also announced an allocation of "21.1 1000000" to guarantee access to hepatitis C medications in the correctional population and described work to modernize hospital operating rooms and patient rooms.
González said she would pursue a trust and incentives to retain medical professionals, including a proposed loan-repayment-style fideicomiso to help repay student debt for physicians and researchers who commit to practice in Puerto Rico. She said the administration will press Washington for fairer Medicaid funding and will engage the federal government and the Oversight Board on health financing.
Education: The governor announced certification programs for 700 teachers in English and the launch of 14 bilingual public schools this year. She highlighted a campaign to certify more than 400 special-education teachers in autism-focused training and to open full-time special-education classrooms and summer programs to support families. The administration also proposed an "expediente unico digital" (single digital pupil file) to consolidate records for students with disabilities across agencies.
Why it matters: Health workforce capacity, hospital operations and correctional health interventions affect care access and public-health outcomes. Education investments in bilingual programs, special-education preparation and vocational pathways can influence long-term labor-market alignment and student outcomes.
The governor described proposals that will require legislative or regulatory steps and external funding negotiations; she said the administration will seek federal cooperation on Medicaid reimbursement and will use both local and federal funds for infrastructure and staffing.
